Meet DD, Big Boss’s Adorable But Awesome Phantom Pain Companion

After all, Venom Snake has formed a new unit called Diamond Dogs, so it’s not a huge stretch to find a canine (or lupine, in this case) companion in the game.

The trailer does little to indicate exactly what ways DD is going to interact with the rest of the game, whether it be a setpiece, a part of gameplay support, or just another thread for Kojima to unceremoniously cut, thus destroying all of our feelings forever (you remember this horse, don’t you? Or—tears incoming—this one?) and leaving you as jaded and broken as Big Boss himself.

UPDATE: This thread at NeoGAF seems to indicate that DD and Quiet both function as “buddies”, supporting Snake in a variety of ways depending on how strong of a bond you’ve formed with them. They can also die (this includes your horse), and that death is permanent, though it won’t affect the main story. You may not even meet Quiet in the story at all, it’s based on how you play the game.

Even jetting past all the potential symbolism and potential narrative importance, or even the possibility of having a game like Dead to Rights that involves a dog companion but doesn’t suck as a game, just look at how damned cute that thing is.

If anyone here doesn’t save the puppy and bring it back to base, we all know they should be locked up, because that’s a sign of serious mental problems.

Recent announcements have confirmed that the game is almost done, and Kojima has has claimed he wants it to stand up with the best games in the world. It’s been no mystery that the FOX engine developed for the game is the one that has allowed him to create the game he’s always wanted to make, and if the level of quality of what we’ve seen so far is any indication, this may very well be true.

Much as I wouldn’t want to see the series end, closure is a valuable thing. We’ve already seen the end (supposedly in Metal Gear Solid 4), but if this is the end of Big Boss’s saga, so be it. I’m practically satisfied, and the game isn’t even out yet.